title: Cataract surgery complications in nonagenarians.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether nonagenarians relative to octogenarians are at increased risk of ocular complications from cataract surgery in the US Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 554 nonagenarians and 11 407 octogenarians who received cataract surgery in the VHA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nonagenarians and octogenarians who received 1 cataract surgery without a second surgery within 90 days between October 1, 2005, and September 30, 2007, were identified using the National Patient Care Database (NPCD). Data collected include demographics, preoperative systemic and ocular comorbidities, intraoperative complications, and 90-day postoperative complications. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) of complications in nonagenarians using octogenarians as a reference group was calculated using logistic regression modeling.
  
  
  METHODS
  Intraoperative and postoperative ocular complications within 90 days of cataract surgery in nonagenarians versus octogenarians.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most common systemic comorbidity for both age groups was diabetes mellitus (DM), and the most common ocular comorbidity for both age groups was age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Octogenarians had a higher prevalence of most systemic comorbidities, and nonagenarians had a higher prevalence of most ocular comorbidities. The most common intraoperative and postoperative complications for both age groups were vitreous loss or posterior capsular tear and posterior capsular opacification. The risk of having any intraoperative or postoperative complication was 13.5% for octogenarians and 13.4% for nonagenarians (P = 0.9001). The OR of having any intraoperative or postoperative complication in nonagenarians with octogenarians as a reference group was 0.94 (95% confidence interval, 0.73-1.22).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nonagenarians relative to octogenarians are not at increased risk of ocular complications from cataract surgery in the VHA. Further studies are needed to evaluate other outcome parameters, such as visual function and quality of life, in nonagenarians undergoing cataract surgery.
authors.affiliation: Section of Ophthalmology, VA Medical Center, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Victoria L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: Paul B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: Wen-Chih
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jessica M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Ingrid U
authors.initials: IU
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Friedmann
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002386:Cataract / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D022125:Lacerations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D007903:Lens Capsule, Crystalline / Q000293:injuries; D016015:Logistic Models; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D015996:Survival Rate; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014822:Vitreous Body